CHARTRES: THE CATHEDRAL

Chartres Cathedral, also known as the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres: (Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Chartres), is a Roman Catholic church located in Chartres, France, about 80 km (50 miles) southwest of Paris. The current cathedral, mostly constructed between 1194 and 1220, is the last of at least five which have occupied the site since the town became a bishopric in the 4th century. It is a marvel of Gothic architecture, with the pointed arch, flying buttresses to reinforce the height of the walls, and ribbed vaulting (looks like criss-crossing arches) to allow the arches to bear more weight. These architectural innovations allowed for much loftier walls and larger glasswork, previously prohibited because of the heaviness required for the walls. Gothic architecture, as epitomized by the Chartres Cathedral,  revolutionized the appearance of medieval buildings.

I went to Chartres because I was completely drawn in by the purported existence of  electromagnetic/telluric forces under the city of Chartres, especially as they enhanced the Labyrinth experience; and I wanted to see “Chartres en Lumières,” the sound and light show that illuminated the cathedral and other buildings in Chartres at night. My husband and I went from Paris to Chartres by train and stayed at the Hôtellerie Saint-Yves, a former convent dating from the 13th century. This post is about the cathedral; the next one will be about the town and hotel; and the last will be about the Bishop’s Museum in Chartres. 

The nave and High Altar of Chartres Cathedral

The High Altar of the cathedral

The marble statue, L'Assomption (1771) by the sculptor Bridan, adorns the High Altar. The Baroque style, very popular at the time (1600-1750), portrays dynamic movement and energy of the human form.

The Assumption of Mary is a Catholic holy day which commemorates the Virgin Mary’s ascent into heaven at the end of her earthly life.  

Chairs for the Mass celebrants 

A Crucifix with votive candles, often lit in remembrance of someone deceased or in hopes of being granted a special request. For example, I lit votive candles in every church I visited, asking for a friend’s return to good health.

The Sancta Camisa (the Veil of the Virgin) was a gift to Charlemagne and then donated by his grandson, Charles the Bald, to Chartres Cathedral in 876. In this chapel, a piece of the Virgin’s veil is supposed to be displayed on the rod between the two angels. I don’t think this was the real thing--probably only a symbol of this very precious relic.  

All Saints Chapel, one of seven in the ambulatory (walkway around the altar.)

The choir enclosure of Chartres cathedral (1510-1720) has 40 sculpted groups, with 200 statues in total. The sculpted panels, of Renaissance style (inspired by classical Greek and Roman art, 1400-1600) refer to events in the life of Jesus and the Virgin Mary. 

Panel: Adoration of the Magi

Reproduction of one panel, Adoration of the Magi, in Chartres Cathedral. This reproduction and many others from cathedrals all over France are located in the Cité de l’Architecture Museum in Paris.

Panel: Annunciation The angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would become the mother of God.

Panel: Pieta 

The panels on this entire side of the choir enclosure have not yet been cleaned. That is why it is so dark. As you can imagine, it must be a slow and laborious task to clean these sculptures.

Astrological clock

The choir enclosure displays an astrological clock dating from the 16th century. It told not only the time but the day of the week, the month of the year, the time of sunrise and sunset, the phase of the moon and the current sign of the zodiac. During that time, astrology was considered to be a science, before the Catholic Church opposed it. Scientists of the Enlightenment era viewed astrology as superstition, not science.

The Black Madonna Chapel - Our Lady of the Pillar

In the nineteenth century, the original dark walnut carved statue was painted in the fashion of the day. Those in charge of the recent Cathedral restoration restored the Black Madonna to her nineteenth century painted style. For now, the Black Madonna has disappeared under layers of paint. 

The Our Lady of The Pillar Chapel (Notre-Dame du Pillier)

Throughout Europe, about 500 Black Madonnas stand in Catholic churches, with a few in museums. Most date from the eleventh to fifteenth centuries. Many scholars say that the Black Madonna is a link to religions that existed long before Christianity.

Chartres golden interior doors

CHARTRES CATHEDRAL: THE LABYRINTH

Labyrinth with High Altar in the background

A labyrinth made of ancient recycled stones was created in 1205. It has an eleven-circle design, and it takes up the whole width of the main nave (52 feet). Its path is 261 meters long (858 feet)  and becomes mesmerizing as you walk the winding path. The chairs from the nave are removed on Fridays from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. 

Labyrinth

The Labyrinth was used for devotional walks by the monks, and pilgrims used to walk along it on their knees as a form of repentance. At the time, it was thought of as a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, with the hope of becoming closer to God.  Today large numbers of pilgrims and visitors come to walk slowly and silently around the Labyrinth. It takes you a surprisingly long time to maneuver its twists and turns and forces you to be mindful of the path you are taking, not only on the labyrinth.

We walk the Labyrinth  

Around 9:45 am on Friday morning, people who wanted to walk the Labyrinth were assembling. Two elderly people, a man and a woman, began the process of removing the chairs from the Labyrinth.  Those who couldn’t wait until the chairs were  all removed, started walking the Labyrinth and making short detours around the chairs that hadn’t yet been removed. The rest of us watched impatiently. We would have offered to help the workers in a heartbeat but didn’t know if it would be out of place to offer to help remove the chairs.  Finally, we were able to start. Some people walked the Labyrinth slowly but steadily, and others walked it very slowly, as if in a thrall. It is believed that powerful telluric energies* flow and converge beneath this Cathedral. I was hoping that the telluric forces under Chartres would somehow be manifested while walking the Labyrinth, and it seemed that some people were affected by something, but I wasn’t. All I felt was solitary, as if I were alone on the Labyrinth

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CHARTRES CATHEDRAL: THE CRYPT

The town of Chartres has been of religious importance since ancient times. The most important Druidic center was the grotto in Chartres, which was later turned into the crypt of the cathedral. The Druids, pre-Christian Celtic priests of Britain and Gaul, believed that this was a place where spiritual energy emanates from underground, imparting a divine atmosphere.  Gauls (forbears of the French) created statues of the protective Mother Goddess with infant. The statues may have contributed to the legend that the Druids had foretold the story of a virgin who would give birth to a child for the good of the world. In effect, ancient pagan Goddess worship morphed into orthodox Christian tradition.

Our docent, a young Russian woman, led our tour of the crypt. You must take a docent-led tour of the crypt, and tickets are available in the gift shop of the cathedral. Our tour was at 2:45 pm, but  you must check on availability. (In general, tours depend on attendance.) Victoria unlocked the north entry door to enter the crypt, and locked it back up once we were inside.

A long view of the Crypt, which is 70 meters (230 feet) long, where Mass is held during the week.

The altar in the Lady of the Crypt Chapel

 There couldn’t be a more enthusiastic docent than Victoria. She loved everything about the Cathedral and imparted stories about its history, such as the story of the American military officer who saved Chartres Cathedral from shelling in World War II. Here, she is standing in front of the altar in the Lady of the Crypt Chapel, with the Black Madonna on the wall in the background.

I suspect Victoria’s full time job was teaching. She taught us how to read the bible stories illustrated in the stained glass windows of the Cathedral and then followed up with a pop quiz on what we had learned. 

The Black Madonna - Our Lady from Under the Earth (Notre-Dame-de-Sous-Terre)

The Black Madonna is a reproduction of the figure honored by the Druids. 

The Virgin’s Veil is behind an arch in the wall, enclosed by a golden grate which opens outward to display the reliquary holding a piece of the veil. This is the veil Mary wore at the birth of Christ.

Veil closeup through the reliquary window. Nobody says as much, but since this relic is priceless, its safety may be the reason for restricted access to the crypt.

 Puits des Saints-Forts (Well of the Holy Strong Ones)

As is typical of Druidic sanctuaries, a sacred well was part of the site. It is still visible today, although it has run dry. When it was Christianized, it became the “Well of the Holy Strong Ones“ (Puits des Saints-Forts), said to have become miraculous ever since the first martyrs of Chartres were drowned in it by Roman soldiers who attacked Christians while they were celebrating their faith at the virgin shrine. When an epidemic afflicted many victims, the crypt of the original church became a hospital to care for the sick, as it was believed that its water possessed miraculous virtues.

Chandeliers lighting the way

The crypt dates from the year 1025. Since buildings were superimposed, one on top of the other, the crypt has centuries-old remnants that date back to Gallic times.  It doesn't look like much, but Victoria told us that this single spot on the wall is on the oldest existing section of the crypt wall.

The Chapel of Saint Clement,  a Romanesque wall painting (fresco), has the figures of Saint Clement (Bishop of Rome) Saint Nicolas, Saint Martin, Saint Peter, Saint James the Major, and Saint Gilles celebrating mass before Charles Martel (Charlemagne). The wall painting, dated from 12th century, was restored in 1966. (The fresco looks faint in reality, too.)

Steps up from crypt

 FYI: *Telluric earth currents are natural electromagnetic currents that flow on and beneath the surface of the earth and generally follow a direction parallel to the earth’s surface. I had never heard of telluric currents before, and I can’t vouch for their authenticity, but supposedly they are very strong underneath Chartres and add to the mystique that surrounds Chartres. 

 SPOILER ALERT:

According to a labyrinth scholar and debunker, Robert Ferré, the belief that the cathedral was also the site of a pre-Christian Druidic sect who worshipped a "Virgin who will give birth" is purely a late-medieval invention. The Druids did exist as a high-ranking professional class among the Celts and did assemble yearly at Chartres,  but all else is speculation, and ancient Goddess worship was not restricted to the Druids of Chartres; female deities were worshipped thousands of years BC. This expert didn’t weigh in on the existence of telluric currents in Chartres, but that is for geophysicists to say.